Matt Kenseth projects an image of the plain talking no nonsense Midwesterner, comfortable in his own skin.

His wry sense of humour is legendary, however, in the NASCAR Sprint Cup garage and he uses it to disarm even the toughest of media interviewers.

Kenseth hardly ever gets rattled and he seems most at ease with his wife Katie — expecting the couple’s third child — their two daughters or coaching his son Ross as he attempts to follow in his dad’s foot steps.

All of this belies the fact that Kenseth is a fierce competitor and a hugely successful one.

How successful, you might ask?

Well, in his 17 NASCAR seasons Kenseth has banked $109,177,553 US in race winnings.

He hopes he can add to that total on Sunday at the Auto Club 400 where he will start from the pole in the No. 20 Toyota.

Kenseth has won three times at the two-mile California track and he likes his chances to make it four.

“This is probably one of the best tracks we go to as far as passing with all the different lanes unless you’re stuck on the top,” he said of Auto Club Speedway.

“This place is really wide, it’s very challenging as a driver. If your car is handling a certain way you can find a groove that can help your car and move around a lot.

“It is a track you can come from anywhere if you have the best car and get up through there and get some passing.”

TEN THINGS TO WATCH FOR IN SUNDAY’S AUTO CLUB 400

1: TIRE TROUBLE — Auto Club Speedway is notoriously hard on tires. Watch for drivers taking four new tires on every pit stop. Four fresh tires will trump track position at the two mile California oval every time especially near the end.

2: ATTENTION DEFICIT — Four hundred miles on the big, wide track demands a race car driver’s full attention. It is easy to get lulled into complacency but the moment that happens watch for something bad to happen.

3: HOME GROWN — There will be nine native Californians starting the Auto Club 400 and each of them considers it their home race. California has become a breeding ground for new NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers like Kyle Larson and Josh Wise.

4: REVENGE — Keep your eye on Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano. Those two were racing for the win last season when Logano knocked Hamlin into the wall. The result was a broken back for Hamlin. It might be payback time on Sunday.

5: BUMPY ROAD — Auto Club Speedway hasn’t been repaved — ever. So that makes for some big bumps for drivers hitting speeds for 190 m.p.h. The drivers love it because it puts the race in their hands. Skill beats strategy on a bumpy road.

6: SLOW POKES — With three and four wide racing common at Auto Club Speedway it makes keeping up with the pack important. And the fastest cars had better be watching for the back markers who can and will impede their progress.

7: WINNING STREAK — There have been four different winners in the first four races of the 2014 Sprint Cup season. The betting is that there will be five different winners when the checkered flag flies Sunday at Fontana.

8: SIX TIME — Six time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson grew up within spitting distance of the California track and has five wins there. Watch for him to work his magic again to make it six times in the No. 48 Chevrolet.

9: MOTORHEADS — In practices for the race there have been concerns, particularly in the Ford camp, that blown motors could be a problem on Sunday. Taking car of one’s engine will be job one for many drivers.

10: FRONT ROW — Matt Kenseth won the pole position in knock out qualifying to start on the front row but more important is he gets he best pit row stall. Watch the advantage he gets by pitting in the No. 1 position.

My Pick

Last season, for the first time at Auto Club Speedway, a Toyota won at the two mile oval.

Kyle Busch is back in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to try to make in two in a row. The Gibbs team has been strong all weekend with teammate Matt Kenseth winning the pole.

Busch has a good record at the California track with a pair of wins, seven top fives and 11 top 10 finishes in 17 starts.

Also Busch is hungry after a not so great start to the season with only one top 10 finish in the first four Sprint Cup races.

His last outing at Bristol was his worst finishing 29th. He is looking for a big rebound on Sunday.

BLIND SPOT

Marcos Ambrose has won twice in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition but both those were on road courses — his speciality.

Recently, however, the No. 9 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford has shown some spunk on ovals including a fifth place last week at the very tough Bristol Motor Speedway.

He could break into the win column at Auto Club Speedway at Fontana where he has been fast in practice all weekend long.

NASCAR'S Kenseth looking for another win in California

Matt Kenseth projects an image of the plain talking no nonsense Midwesterner, comfortable in his own skin.

His wry sense of humour is legendary, however, in the NASCAR Sprint Cup garage and he uses it to disarm even the toughest of media interviewers.

Kenseth hardly ever gets rattled and he seems most at ease with his wife Katie — expecting the couple’s third child — their two daughters or coaching his son Ross as he attempts to follow in his dad’s foot steps.

All of this belies the fact that Kenseth is a fierce competitor and a hugely successful one.

How successful, you might ask?

Well, in his 17 NASCAR seasons Kenseth has banked $109,177,553 US in race winnings.

He hopes he can add to that total on Sunday at the Auto Club 400 where he will start from the pole in the No. 20 Toyota.

Kenseth has won three times at the two-mile California track and he likes his chances to make it four.